It’s got to be blue… Cyanotypes make an impact in our latest window displays

This month’s collection is inspired by photography, so for our latest window displays, we decided to experiment with cyanotypes using Cornish foliage and leaves.

A cyanotype is a photographic process that produces a distinctive cyan-blue print. Discovered by English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel in 1842, it was originally used to reproduce notes and diagrams – which is where the term blueprints came from.

Anna Atkins, a friend of Herschel, was the first person to create cyanotype photograms. She placed seaweed, ferns and flowering plants onto coated paper and exposed them to the light to create a silhouette effect.

Cyanotypes are easy to create at home and are a fun way to create some striking artwork. All you need to do is coating paper or card with a solution of iron compounds (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide), easily available online or from art shops. Once the paper is dry, negatives or objects can be placed on the paper, sandwiched with a piece of glass and exposed to UV light. After the paper has been exposed, the print is processed by rinsing it in water to remove the chemicals and bring out the blue.

Our striking photograms have been printed on matt card in different sizes with torn edges for an authentic, handmade feel. We’ve pegged them up string and hung from the window rails, as if they were hanging up to dry.

About me

Fiona has lived in New York and New Zealand, but has called Cornwall home for the past nine years. She works in our content team and loves the fact she never knows what she’ll end up researching from one day to the next. Outside work, she always has a variety of creative projects on the go and is working on a novel. In her spare time, you’ll often find her on the beach with her camera or collecting unusual shells and stones.